Abstract Details

Title A retrospective descriptive study to evaluate physician education on driving practices of patients who develop a neurological condition

Topic Practice, Policy, and Ethics

Presentation(s) P4 - Poster Session 4 (5:30 PM-6:30 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 4-070

Objective The purpose of this study is to identify whether physicians are counseling patients with neurological conditions that affect their driving fitness about recommended driving limitations and precautions.

Background The rate at which physicians counsel their patients of the potential risk related to driving disability is currently not quantified per our primary literature review. There are no clear data that evaluates how often patients with diseases that are well cited as affecting a person’s ability to drive, are educated about how their disease should potentially preclude them from operating a vehicle.

Design/Methods Retrospective chart review was completed among patients who have ICD-10 clinical diagnoses under neurodegenerative, seizure, stroke, movement, neuropathy, neuromuscular, and visual disturbances over a 6 month time period from our neurology clinics. The following data was collected: demographics (gender, age, active duty status, and rank), general or subspecialty neurology clinical setting, category of diagnosis (dementia, epilepsy, movement, neuromuscular, neuropathy, stroke, and visual), ICD-10 diagnosis, documentation of assessment of driving fitness or not, documentation of counseling of driving fitness or not. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and chi square analysis.

Results Three hundred charts were reviewed from the neurology clinic in a 6 month period. Out of 300 patients, 45 (15%) were assessed for driving fitness, and 68 (22.7%) patients were counseled. There was an association of driving counseling with the neurological category of diagnosis (p<0.005), duty status (p=0.020), clinical setting (p<0.005) and age (p<0.005). There was no association with driving counseling to gender, branch of service, or rank.

Conclusions This study can help conclude that there is insufficient documentation of counseling in patients with neurological disease that is known to affect driving fitness. Driving counseling is more likely to be completed in certain diseases, in the subspecialty clinics, to dependents of active duty members, and to younger patients

Authors/Disclosures
Emily Elliott, DO (NAMI) PRESENTER	Dr. Elliott has nothing to disclose.
Margaret M. Swanberg, DO (DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine)	Dr. Swanberg has nothing to disclose.

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